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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26205226">Tea and Jam</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/coolbyrne/pseuds/coolbyrne'>coolbyrne</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>NCIS</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 07:55:54</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,795</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26205226</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/coolbyrne/pseuds/coolbyrne</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Phineas only wants Jethro Gibbs to be happy. He thinks he knows a way to make it happen. He's not wrong, not entirely. Slibbs</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jethro Gibbs/Jacqueline "Jack" Sloane</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>146</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Tea and Jam</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>jenni3penny gave me a quote from a book about a woman who put jam in her tea and how the male protagonist recoiled in horror. I thought that scene had Gibbs and Jack written all over it!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"How's Agent Sloane?"</p>
<p>The conversation with Phineas had run the gamut from sports to school to whatever the hell Fortnite was, so it shouldn't have surprised him when the topic u-turned to girls. He just didn't expect it to be <em>his</em> girl.</p>
<p>"She's good."</p>
<p>"Asked her on a date, yet?"</p>
<p>"Phin…" Maybe he shouldn't have been surprised; the word 'yet' reminded him that the kid had brought her up in their last call. He glanced around the office, as if the question could summon the subject. The only person in the room was Bishop who was pretending not to eavesdrop.</p>
<p>"I just want you to be happy, Jethro Gibbs. And I know she makes you happy."</p>
<p>He couldn't help but grin at the declaration. "Do ya now?"</p>
<p>"Yep. I saw how your eyes went all moony every time she came into the room."</p>
<p>"Do kids say 'moony'?"</p>
<p>"Don't deflect. Beyonce was right, you know- better put a ring on it before someone else does."</p>
<p>His brows went down. What the hell does that mean? He was saved from asking when he saw legs he coveted come down the stairs, bringing everything else he coveted with them. </p>
<p>"Gotta go, Phin. I wanna hear how that math test went."</p>
<p>"Okay," the young boy replied. "But remember what I said, Jethro Gibbs!"</p>
<p>"Uh-huh." He snapped the phone shut just as Jack reached his desk and placed a disposable cup on his desk, which he eyed with suspicion. </p>
<p>"It's fine," she promised. "You bought this morning."</p>
<p>He pretended not to see Bishop's eye brow arch in his peripheral vision. Bringing the cup to his mouth, he knew immediately from the smell she was on the level. His eyes closed in appreciation, both for the beverage and the woman.</p>
<p>"That Phineas?" she asked.</p>
<p>"Yeah. Wanted me to help him write an essay on the history of the Corps, 'til I realized he wanted me to <em>write</em> it for him. Told him to give you a call. Figured writing down the Army victories wouldn't take as long."</p>
<p>Her mouth dropped open and she inhaled her shock, just as he intended, and he deftly pulled the coffee away before she could snatch it back. It didn't save him from getting a smack on the arm, but her grin softened the blow. </p>
<p>"Bastard."</p>
<p>"So I've been told."</p>
<p>"Joke's on you- it's decaf."</p>
<p>She said it with such conviction that he sniffed the cup to check. Her wink gave up the ruse. His phone rang before he could throw out a threat about messing with a Marine's coffee. </p>
<p>"Yep. Got it." The phone snapped shut for the second time, and he stood to collect his badge and his gun. "Bishop, call McGee and Torres; tell 'em we'll be at Woodley Park. Tell 'em to finish up whatever they're doin' and meet us there."</p>
<p>She pulled out her phone as she grabbed her gear and Gibbs took advantage of the distraction to give Jack a once over while he waited for the soft talismanic goodbye he had somehow come to expect, even need.</p>
<p>With her hand on his arm, she said, "Be safe."</p>
<p>She was almost out of sight up the stairs when Bishop got off the phone and he started for the elevator.</p>
<p>"What's it mean- put a ring on it?"</p>
<p>Bishop's head turned sharply at the question and she laughed.</p>
<p>…..</p>
<p>As luck and life would have it, the answer -and the memory of Bishop's amused face- got pushed into the back of his brain as a 3-case pile-up took its place instead. </p>
<p>…..</p>
<p>She would've checked her name at least 3 times to avoid the embarrassment of last year's Valentine's Day debacle, but the card was very clear.</p>
<p>
  <em>To Jack Sloane</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Love Jethro Gibbs</em>
</p>
<p>She smiled at the boy's ingenuity in finding a way to send flowers and chocolates from Chicago, even if she knew she needed to have a quiet word with him about matchmaking. Not that she objected to her particular match, but she suspected Gibbs wouldn't be as pleased with the push. She savoured one of the caramels and made a note to praise him for his choice before she scooped up the box and the note and made her way downstairs. </p>
<p>He had been a bear for the last 2 days, and she knew that wouldn't change until they found the missing mother and son from the current case. The team was working diligently, though the bear himself was missing.</p>
<p>"With Kasie," Bishop said, anticipating the question. Looking up from the computer, she saw the chocolates and tilted her head. "Another name mix-up?" she asked, skirting around last year's mishap. </p>
<p>"No," Jack said, holding out the box. "I double-checked. My name was definitely on it. These and some beautiful roses."</p>
<p>Bishop cooed. "Oooh!" Reaching into the box, she lifted a chocolate, admired its sheen, then popped it into her mouth. "Oh," she said, a little less clearly around the treat. "These are good!"</p>
<p>"Glad ya got time to indulge, Bishop." </p>
<p>Nick, who was already half-way to Bishop's desk to get his own piece quickly retreated, and McGee's head snapped down and his fingers tapped enough keys to make him look busy when Gibbs re-entered the room.</p>
<p>"Give them a break," Jack said softly. "They've been working non-stop for 2 days." The lines around his red-rimmed eyes were deep and she was sure she hadn't seen the corners of his mouth lift all week. "We all have."</p>
<p>"Not sure how you find time with all your secret admirers." The squeak of his chair was the loudest thing in the office as the team held their breaths and Jack lifted her chin. </p>
<p><em>So that's how it was going to be, huh?</em> She thought to herself.</p>
<p>"Who said he was a secret?"</p>
<p>She'd give him credit for fighting the urge to look at her. It was Torres who asked the question she knew Gibbs was thinking.</p>
<p>"You know him, Jack?"</p>
<p>Without looking away from Gibbs, she said, "Yeah. Bit of a surprise; it's been a while since we've seen each other. We met on a case last year."</p>
<p>Ever the protective brother even as much as he was the office gossip, Nick narrowed his eyes. "Not that Douglas guy from the fraud case."</p>
<p>She shook her head, finally turning to Nick. "No. Younger. Quite a bit, actually." Innocently popping another chocolate in her mouth, she waited for the reaction she knew was coming.</p>
<p>Torres didn't disappoint. "Agent Sloane, you're a cougar. Rrrrowr!" </p>
<p>Gibbs finally raised his head. "You here to offer anything besides information on your love life, Agent Sloane?"</p>
<p>Her eyes hardened. "Yes. Look into the ex-husband's hobbies. Hunting or camping. Maybe boating. He didn't take them at random; he clearly had a destination in mind."</p>
<p>Though the possible breakthrough was welcome, the burr was still under his saddle when he said, "Coulda used that earlier."</p>
<p>"Yeah, well, it didn't occur to me until I started thinking about certain men who need to find a damn hobby."</p>
<p>To avoid the lit gunpowder trail that connected Jack and Gibbs, McGee quickly typed in search parameters on his computer. "Nothing in the husband's name. Checking on the wife. Nothing."</p>
<p>"Check the husband's dad," Jack suggested. "Brian Elliott's wife was going to leave him and take their son with her. Elliott's parents divorced when he was about the same age as his son is now. If he bonded with his dad over the divorce, it would make sense he'd bring Meredith and Kurt to the same place he shared with his dad."</p>
<p>The team watched McGee work his magic. It didn't take long. </p>
<p>"Got it! Cabin under the name of Walter Elliott in Stanardsville, Virginia."</p>
<p>"Grab your gear," Gibbs ordered, halfway through the task himself. "Torres, call the local authorities, let them know we're on our way. Have them meet us there."</p>
<p>"Sending you the location right now, Nick," Tim said, one hand on the computer, the other reaching for his bag.</p>
<p>Gibbs came around the desk, a flurry of determination and justice. "Let's go, people. It's a 2-hour drive."</p>
<p>The team was well ahead of him, and nearly at the elevator, and although he never once looked at her, there was a falter in his step, like he had jumped the gun at the starting line. She took in his broad shoulders, his ill-fitting suit and his wonky knee and knew she couldn't love him more.</p>
<p>"Be safe."</p>
<p>His stride extended long, like her voice rewound his start to set him right again. The elevator door closed without him looking in her direction, and she sighed as she indulged in another chocolate.</p>
<p>…..</p>
<p>She had gotten the head's up from Bishop that they were pulling into the parking lot and that everything had gone down as well as they could have hoped. She wasn't sure Gibbs would bother to stop by, given the way he had left, but simply knowing he was back and safe was comforting enough for her. She would finish the tea she had just started, wrap up some paperwork and go home. Maybe have a whiskey in honour of the man who-</p>
<p>Just walked into her office.</p>
<p>His original opening died on his lips when he saw the mug on her desk. "Tea?"</p>
<p>Rhythmically lifting and lowering the tea bag, she all but pouted. "Ran out of coffee." She draped the tag over the lip and peeled back the foil from a small packet. The contents were spooned into the hot beverage.</p>
<p>"Jam?"</p>
<p>"Ran out of sugar, too."</p>
<p>He placed a file on her desk and rested his fingertips on it. "What happened to your secret sugar stash?"</p>
<p>She looked over black rims suspiciously. "How do you know about my secret sugar stash?"</p>
<p>Rather than answer, he looked like he used to his remaining energy to offer a faint smirk. "Need you to sign off on the psych evals for the report."</p>
<p>The thinness in his voice made her really look at him. He had come in, not so tall, and she could see how his shoulders were bent under the weight of the day. His eyes were hazy soft, his suit seemed even more ill-fitting than usual. When he put his fingertips on the file, she suspected it was less to make a point and more to give him some balance. But she also saw the apology for what it was and waved him to her couch.</p>
<p>"Sit. Let me have a look."</p>
<p>She knew how tired he was when he didn't object. There was nothing to 'have a look' over- the evaluation of the suspect was clinical and thorough and it required nothing more than her signature. But when she caught his head lean back on the couch and his eyes close, she drew out his respite by going over the paper.</p>
<p>"Thought you'd be out with Chocolate Man."</p>
<p>Her eyes stayed on her paperwork. "You just can't help yourself, can you?" she quietly accused. "Just when it looks like it's almost healed, you just <em>have</em> to pick at the scab."</p>
<p>"Never said I wasn't a bastard."</p>
<p>"You've used that excuse for a long time, haven't you?" She pretended not to see he had raised his head. "To explain why you keep self-sabotaging."</p>
<p>"You analyzing me now, Jack?"</p>
<p>She looked around. "That's what my job here is, isn't it?" She got no satisfaction from seeing him flinch. Softening the barb, she said, "Besides, Chocolate Man lives out of state. And I'm pretty sure he has a 9PM curfew."</p>
<p>The realization slowly dawned across his face. "Phineas."</p>
<p>"Yep." She signed the bottom of the report with a flourish and flipped the folder shut. She walked around her desk with her tea and held out the file with a card on top. She watched his eyes go over the dedication. "Don't be mad. He just wants Jethro Gibbs to be happy."</p>
<p>The near repetition of the boy's words lured out a small smile. "S'what he said."</p>
<p>"It's what we all want for you, Jethro Gibbs."</p>
<p>"And what about you, Jack Sloane?"</p>
<p>She used the mimicry to fend off the question. "When did he say this to you?"</p>
<p>While he didn't pursue an answer, his eyes let her know he was well aware of the reflection. "When he asked me to help him with his essay."</p>
<p>"Mmmm."</p>
<p>They sat in amiable silence even as she could tell he seemed to be ruminating something in his head. His knee jumped lightly several times, his eyes closed again. She was just about to make a motion to stand when his right hand came out to stop her and his left reached into his jacket pocket. She squinted at the candy package cradled in his big palm. Uncertain at the meaning, she tilted her head in the hopes of encouraging him to explain. She didn't have to wait long.</p>
<p>His eyes opened. "He also told me if I like it, I need to put a ring on it."</p>
<p>The way he recited the lyrics and the expression that accompanied them made her burst out laughing. "I think that's Beyonce."</p>
<p>"So Bishop told me."</p>
<p>She could only imagine how that conversation had gone. Her chin lifted at the Ring Pop. "Cherry. It's my favourite flavour."</p>
<p>"I know." His blue eyes turned to her.</p>
<p>They could guard his emotions when he demanded it, but they could say so much when he allowed it. His tiredness and his willingness gave her the latter. His right hand was still on her wrist, and he turned her hand over to place the offering in her palm.</p>
<p>"Are you asking me to go steady?"</p>
<p>His face was impassive in the wake of her playfulness. "I figured we were too old for me to give you my class ring."</p>
<p>Her warm laugh that enveloped them both ended with an abrupt, "Who are you calling old?"</p>
<p>He held up a weak hand as a sign of surrender. "I'll dig it up tomorrow."</p>
<p>"I'd like that." The playfulness was replaced by soft sincerity.</p>
<p>Her honesty was rewarded with a chuckle. "You really would, wouldn't you?"</p>
<p>"Yep. I'm a simple girl, Gibbs."</p>
<p>"Nah," he replied, shaking his head. "You're one of most complicated women I've ever met. I can't figure you out sometimes." He looked up at the ceiling. "I mean, tea and jam?"</p>
<p>She let his humour cover the rare glimpse of vulnerability. "I was desperate," she whined. </p>
<p>Summoning up just enough strength to lift himself from the couch, he winced once he was vertical, and helped her up to her feet. "C'mon. I know a place."</p>
<p>The fact that he was nearly dead on his feet but was offering to get her coffee brought her hand up to his cheek. The late night stubble scraped against her palm and she revelled in the contrast. "Don't you want to go to bed?"</p>
<p>"Well yeah, but I figured I had to woo you first."</p>
<p>She batted his arm and when he laughed, she swatted at him again, her hands a flurry of indignant retaliation that he easily quashed by grabbing her wrists and pulling her close. Their faces were inches apart and she couldn't resist brushing her nose across his. He returned the favour, but with their lips. It was a scouting mission sent to glean information, and her soft sigh gave him all he needed to know. The second pass held more intent, coercing a confession from her lips that returned the want with equal fervour. She turned her empty hand, trapped in his grasp, and brought his fingers up to her jaw, guiding them into her hair. Without her heels on, he towered over her, protective, never imposing. Leaving his hand in her hair, she trailed her fingers down his arm and skipped to his belt where she tugged him into her hips, announcing her own intent. His mouth opened at the message his groin was sending his brain and she smiled against his lips.</p>
<p>"At risk of making that smirk even bigger, you wooed me the first day you met me."</p>
<p>Though she said it in jest, there was warmth to her words that made him ask, "Really?"</p>
<p>"Really." She gently bit his bottom lip as punctuation. "From the minute you offered me coffee and flashed that dimple, I swooned."</p>
<p>He tried to roll his eyes at her hyperbole, but ended up grinning instead. "I got more coffee at home. Not the only dimple."</p>
<p>She tugged at his belt again. "Oh?" Swaying into his hips, she sighed, "Show me yours and I'll show you mine, Marine."</p>
<p>"Remind me to start writin' that essay tomorrow," he told her before pulling her in closer. "It's the least I can do for the kid."</p>
<p>…..</p>
<p>-end.</p>
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